Time to go
02/07/2008 by 50milechallenge.
The waiting is pretty nearly over and the date of truth is rapidly approaching.
I leave for Mongolia next Tuesday. I fly from heathrow to Moscow and then on to Ulan bator in Mongolia. Then an internal flight down to Dalanzadagad in the Gobi Desert. From there it’s a drve in the vehicles out to the base camp for the usual kit checks and briefings before setting out the following day for the Challenge proper.
It’s been said before, but just getting to the start of these things is an adventure in itself. There’s a long wait for the onward flight from Moscow but that’s no bad thing. My journey to the Amazon and the Jungle marathon in 2006 was nearly ruined by the late departure of the first flight from London resulting in all the connecting flights being missed and a trip of 20 hours turned into nearly 60! I did get to the start in time but only just and was so wound up and knackered that it spoilt the whole thing for me.
I’m really looking forward to the Gobi Challenge and hope both it and I live up to expectations.
The next challenge is the successful organisation of the 50 Miler on Sunday 10th August. We’ve only got 20 places left for this year so if you want to have a go at it, get your entry in NOW.
That’s it folks……………
Mike
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It’s getting closer
19/06/2008 by 50milechallenge.
Not long to go now and as always, it feels like I’ve done nowhere near enough training. The new lightweight webbing is excellent and although I’ve had a few adjustments to make to the water bottle pouches it does the job really well. I’ve got the weight I’m carrying - in the webbing - down to about 7.5kgs which is pretty good and includes light sandals for slopping around in and letting the air to the feet as well as trekking poles. I have the facility to carry two 1.5ltr water bottles but will probably only need one between checkpoints. I bought some Smartubes from Raidlight which means that I only have to take one bottle out and replace it with a new one (it’s issued in 1.5ltr bottles) - no messing around transferring water from containers to camel packs.
All in all, I feel reasonably confident of getting a finish - fat and feet allowing - but as usual, I’m pretty sure to be at the back in pride of place
The plans for the Adventure Race training weekend are well in hand and for anyone interested in AR it will be well worth the trip to Kent. Details are on the website under Adventure Weekend. The 50 Mile Challenge is filling up nicely so if you’re thinking of giving it a go this year don’t leave it too late.
Oh well, must get the kit on and bimble off round the kent countryside - again!
Mike
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New boots
30/04/2008 by 50milechallenge.
My new Alt-berg desert boots have arrived so I’ve got about 8 weeks to break them in. If they’re half as good as the Jungle boots they’ll be excellent! I’ve done 2 x 8 milers in them already and they feel very comfy. I’m just waiting for my customised webbing to arrive and then I’m all set to go. The webbing is being made up by Dragon Supplies in Colchester who specialise in customising gear for squaddies. I’ve got some ultra light airborne stuff which is being made up to my own design so I’m pretty sure that it will do the job for me in the Gobi - and beyond. Thanks to the improvements in technology with things like Expedition Foods and LED torches, sleeping mats etc I think I can get my kit weight down to about 7kgs (without water) for the week. That includes 2400 cals per day for 7 days, Thermarest, sleeping bag, medical and safety bits, spare clothing and toiletries etc. That compares very well to the 11kgs I had the first time I went to the MdS.
I’m working on organising an Adventure Race Training weekend in September for those who may be interseted in having a go at one in the future so if anyone ever reads any of these, keep an eye on the website for more information.
It’s pouring with rain and howling a gale and I’m planning to do a 12 miler later so it’s not exactly Gobi like conditions but it’ll have to do!
Mike
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Fallings to bits
02/04/2008 by 50milechallenge.
About 25 years ago my doctor advised me to stop doing so much running. After two weeks I started agin because he didn’t tell me how long to stop for. Now he doesn’t bother to tell me he just says “what do you expect after the things you’ve done to your body?”
Why do I tell you this? Because my training for the Gobi Challenge has been going really well and I’ve been very careful about my regime to get myself prepared for it. However, for the last four days I haven’t felt like doing anything and it feels like my body has come to a grinding halt.
I use the tabbing method for my training as I find that if I actually run for more than 20 minutes at a time my joints sieze up the next day. If I stick to running 15 and walking 5/10 I can keep going for ever and feel absolutely fine the next day. I manage to do 5 MPH comfortably and considering that my average pace for the MdS, jungle etc is less than 4 MPH, I’m happy with that and the system allows me to keep doing these type of events. I don’t care about being last - and I’m usually somewhere near that position - I just enjoy the challenge of trying to finish the course.
I’m determined to shake of the lethargy and get out there again tomorrow. Only three months left for training but I’m pretty confident I’ll be in good form when the time comes.
Mike
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Bum
20/03/2008 by 50milechallenge.
It’s freezing cold and pissing down with rain so why have I just forced myself to do ten miles including some ‘orrible ‘ills?? answers in the comments box please.
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Thoughts about the Marathon des Sables
18/03/2008 by 50milechallenge.
There are more and more people asking me for advice about completing the MdeS.
I was asked by my accountant’s son for some help and information for the 2007 race and he duly came round to our house where I told him all I could, showed him the videos, photos offered him some of the gear he might need and gave him what advice I felt appropriate regarding his training. Bugger me - he only finished in the top 20! He was obviously keeping his abilities to himself when he came round and I felt a bit daft at having presummed to be able to give him advice on his fitness in light of his performance in the desert. However, I take some comfort from the fact that some of the advice I gave him must have made his daily routine easier and allowed him to get on with the running aspect of the event. I also had positive feedback from some of the other 2007 runners to whom I’d given sdvice about how usefull the notes I prepared for them were.
In the hope that some of the lessons I’ve learnt may be of use to others I attach the notes I made for those who took part in 2007.
A few thoughts about completing the MdeS
You’re not going to win it so focus only on finishing – however long it takes.
You won’t run all the way, so don’t be worried about walking whenever you need to – if necessary, walk all the way!
Make sure you’ve got some kind of gaiters. Make sure that you can get at your shoes to do them up – some gaiters make this awkward – by day four getting shoes on in the morning can be a problem. Lots of people stop taking them off because they’re worried about not getting them back on again. If you can find a lightweight aluminium shoehorn it could make life a lot easier and less painful. It can also double as a small shovel for toilet holes. Bury bog paper – people get really grumpy if shitty toilet paper gets blown into their tent!
You will have to share a room in the hotel when you arrive and when you return from the desert – if you can pair up with someone before you get there it makes life easier. Also, you will have to share a tent with eight others – same principal, if you’ve already made connections it will be easier. There are no concessions for the girls – they end up in whichever tent they end up in – might be with eight blokes. It will help if you know some of them.
The Arab labour that erects and dismantles the tents each day are not fussy about your gear. They just bung the rug down and stick the Hessian cover (‘cos that’s all it is) over the top. It’s quite possible that your space (usually about 24” wide) is on top of a load of rocks. Cold comes up through the ground. Add these facts together and what you get is the need for a ground mat. The best one around is the Thermarest. They’re not cheap but they do the job brilliantly and they weigh less than 500gms and fold down really small. The three quarter size is fine. I would say you’d be daft to go without one. They (the Arabs) come round at 06.00 and start taking the tents down. If you, or your kit, are still in it they just carry on and trample over everything. Best plan – put all your gear on the Thermsrest pull it outside at 05.55, get back in your bag and go back to sleep. For the first two hours or so it’s freezing! Your sleeping bag is probably your best friend at that point.
Take a pair of very light, very cheap flip floppy things to wear at night, in the mornings or for when you get back each day. Do not walk anywhere without something on your feet – there are small, lethal thorn bushes and sharp stones everywhere. You’ll have enough foot problems without stabbing yourself.
Almost everyone will have blisters by day three! Try to avoid Doc Trotters. They are very good but very ruthless – they should be your last resort. Blisters can be drained either by yourself or by a tent buddy (you’ll soon find who your friends are). Use a sterile needle from your medical kit. You only need to take a couple as you can re-sterilise them in the heat of your stove. If you’re worried about infection you can pre-prepare some needles with thread soaked in TCP. Push the needle through the blister pulling the thread in after it. Leave the thread in there for a few minutes so that you get antiseptic under the skin then pull it out and throw it away. This will help prevent scepticemia. Failing that, just ignore it and get on with life.
Try to let the air to your feet. When you get back each day get your shoes and socks off as soon as you can and get your feet in the air. Lying down with your feet on your rucksack feels pretty good. You can then wash any sand off and dry them. You’ll have plenty of water.
You must collect your water every morning – without fail – if you don’t, you’ll get a time penalty. Do it twice and they bin you. Don’t lose your water card - the best thing to do is wear it round your neck at all times. You actually get plenty of water and you might well end up throwing some of it away but you must collect it. Leave a bottle out at night so that when you get up in the morning it will be nice and cool. For the rest of the time it will vary from tepid to hot. All your water bottles and the caps will have your number on them. That way they know who to blame and penalise if they find any lying around the route.
You are not allowed to take combustibles on aircraft so you need to order Greenheat before you go and pick it up when you get there. I assume that Best of Morocco still arrange this. Two 200grm tins should be enough for the week. Get some before you go (it’s easily bought on line) and practice with it. When you open it, it has an invisible skin on top. If you don’t remove this you can spend hours trying to light it. You will need something to boil water in. A Triangia kettle is ideal – very light and not too big, with a top. Water boils much faster if you keep the top on. Find out how much water you need to make up your meals – usually about 300-400mls and then mark the kettle at the right place. This saves you from boiling too much or not enough. If you’re going to make tea or a hot water bottle adjust the mark accordingly. See how long it takes for your water to boil and then divide the total burn time of the Greenheat (usually about 90min) by the appropriate time to give you an approximate number of usages you’re likely to get from one tin. Depending on what food you’re taking, you can then work out how much Greenheat you need.
If you have spare hot water put it in a bottle and then into your sleeping bag. If you get into a warm bag you will stay warm all night. It can and does get very cold at night. You can always drink the water in the morning. You won’t need to take a plate or cup. Cut about 5 or 6 inches from a water bottle and mix/make/eat your food from that. It also makes an excellent cup. Then just chuck it in the bin when you’re finished.
Weight matters. You don’t have to be pedantic – like cutting the end off your toothbrush – but the lighter your kit is the easier the days will be. You can, realistically, get your weight down to 8/9kgs (without water) and without compromising on the essentials or basic comforts. I’ll try to do a separate list of how to achieve this.
Insect repellant was one of the mandatory items but you don’t really need it. Take it for kit inspection and then bin it..
You don’t need a big, fancy watch. All you need is something that tells you the time. My £4.99 Casio has done two MdeSs and is still going. And it’s very light. You need a compass. A basic Silva is more than adequate. If you don’t know how to use one, find out how on their website, it’s really easy. You will need a compass when you’re in the dunes as it’s easy to go off line even when you can see people in front (they may be going the wrong way). A quick check every now and then is just reassuring apart from anything else. The road book will give you all the necessary bearings so you can just set your compass to that when you go into the dunes and follow it ‘til you come out the other end. The great thing about simple equipment is that there is very little to go wrong. The more complicated it is and the more technologically advanced then the more it’s likely to pack up. Sand gets in everything. You should, after all your training, be able to judge pace fairly well so you shouldn’t need a pedometer or anything like that. The road book gives you distances between checkpoints so using your watch, your knowledge of pace and some simple mental arithmetic you can keep track of you progress and the distances you’re covering. Distances in the desert are very deceptive. You can quite often see things – like a check point – in the distance and think it’s only a mile or so away when in reality it’s 4/5 miles which can be quite depressing if you haven’t worked out the true distance.
You can die of dehydration in a few days but can last without food for ages. Make sure you stay hydrated. Take some Dioralyte (or similar) to have at night or before you leave in the morning to replace lost minerals. Succeed tablets are good and are available on the web. They are salt and potassium and help you to absorb and use the water you drink as well as replace some of the minerals you loose through sweating and peeing. They also stop cramping. Read up a bit, experiment and find out what works for you. If you start to feel thirsty, it’s too late. If your wee starts to go dark yellow or orange you need more fluids – if it goes brown, see the doctor – there are plenty of them en route. If you’re not weeing you’re not drinking enough. Because of the dry heat in the desert it’s very easy to think you’re not sweating – don’t be fooled – it’s pouring out of you.
Get a Buff – they’re a great piece of kit and you’ll definitely need one if the sand starts blowing around, which it does at some point during most days.
Try to take a few treats. Boiled sweets are good, a tin of sardines in brine, a couple of bags of crushed up crisps, tea bags or instant tea mix with added sugar, a small, tear top tin of sausage & beans. These make a good reward, something to look forward to and a change from the monotony of re-hydrated sawdust. They’re just an idea. I found the Cola Cubes and tea bags a life saver.
If you feel like giving up (and at some point you probably will), don’t make the decision until you make it to the camp area. Remember, it’s going to be one of the toughest challenges you’re likely to face, both physical and mental – that’s why you’re going – so don’t be surprised when the going gets mind-blowingly hard. However, if you really feel that you’re getting to the end of your strength try to make it back to the main bivvy area for the night. If you can get back and sleep on it things will probably seem better in the morning. Then if you still feel you can’t go on, that’s the time to pull out. Also, if you withdraw they take all your food and much of your equipment from you so you can’t give it to the others in your tent. Distribute anything your tent buddies may want or need before you tell the officials that you are withdrawing.
Encourage friends and family to send you emails, which are distributed every evening. What a lift you get when you get one. It all gets quite emotional towards the end but it does help. There is a huge amount of hanging about for the first two days of kit checking etc so be prepared to be bored – I spent a lot of time sleeping – that’s why I’m so fat! It’s a good time/opportunity to make final adjustments to kit & provisions.
If you want to ask questions I’ll do my best to answer them either by email or ‘phone 01227 265536.
The thoughts above are from personal experience and you are quite likely to get differing views on some of it from other sources. You’ll just have to decide what’s relevant to you and what isn’t.
Good luck with the adventure and remember the 5 Ps : Planning and Preparation Prevent Poor Performance!!
Mike
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Gobi Challenge…………..
11/03/2008 by 50milechallenge.
My training is going well and I even managed about 22 miles of the Moonlight Challenge the other week. My belt has gone in by two notches but I still need to whittle the bulk down a bit. I feel much more positive about the Gobi than I did about the Jungle in 2006 and am now really lloking forward to it - I’m even enjoying my training.
I’ve been doing between 20/30 miles a week and trying to put in some hills in preparation for the dunes. I’ve still got four months and will get the milage up around the 60/70 mark from late May to mid June. I’ve also got a few hill training days planned and an offer of a weekend in the Welsh mountains - but it’s from a bloke so I’m not sure as he said “don’t forget your wellies”.
I’m going to experiment with my webbing which was very successful in the jungle but there are a few improvements and adjustments needed to make it even better. I’ve found a company that will make up ultralight webbing to your own requirements so I’m going to give them a go and see what they come up with. I find that military style webbing is much better than a rucksac - it is, after all, designed for personal load carrying over long distances in a comfortable and easilly accessible manner. Mainly though I still like to think I’m still in the army - very sad!
Mike
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Welcome to the Blog
04/03/2008 by 50milechallenge.
when I was offered the option of putting a blog on the site I thought it wouldn’t be relevant but after a little more consideration I decided that it might be a good opportunity to share some of my adventure to the Gobi Desert with anyone who may be interested. I also thought it might be another way of keeping me focused on the training and preparation required to make it a reasonably enjoyable experience.
After my efforts in the Amazon in 2006 I felt like giving up on adventure racing and was tempted to use my age and slowly disintegrating body as a pretext for quitting. My doctor (who’se also an old friend) advised me to stop before I did myself any real and lasting damage - physical that is - my brain is already shot to bits. I made a few noises about retiring gracefully but they didn’t last and no-one who knows me believed it anyway.
Anyway, I was trolling around the net looking for something totally unconnected when I saw a reference to the Gobi Challenge. Bugger! Hooked again. Dig out the training gear and hit the trails. Bloody hell I was unfit in a big way.
More to follow………..
Any advice, info, comments gratefully received.
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About the 50 Mile Challenge
22/06/2007 by 50milechallenge.
The Challenges are not races. They have a simple purpose: to give individuals the opportunity to take on a challenge that tests both mental and physical fortitude in a safe, well organised environment.
Everyone who takes part in the Challenges is a winner no matter how far they get. Everyone who completes the Challenge gets the same medal regardless of the ‘position’ in which they finish.
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